The Bright Knight Blues
by cartoonfan93
Summary: After hearing about the news of Adam West's passing, Plucky, who idolized West, is left completely downhearted. But his friends work together to pay tribute to the Bright Knight.
1. The sad news

Many of the toons are gathered around in the hall of Acme Looniversity, having a group conversation, while getting ready for school.  
Furrball and Calamity were discussing with their bandmate, Cliff, on some interesting information about Rush, while their girlfriends, Fifi, Cosette, and Heather, as well as Buster, Babs, Shirley, and Hamton, were all amazed by the little known facts about Rush.  
"Okay", Calamity started, "I have a question for you. Do you know Geddy Lee's real name?"  
"Of course", Cliff responded. "It's Gary Lee Weinrib. He goes by Geddy because that's how his mother pronounce his name, because of her Jewish accent."  
"Dang it! How do you know all this stuff?"  
"I've been following Rush for several years, Pratt. I've been studying their songs, history, everything."  
"Is there anything about them that you don't know?", Buster asked.  
"Maybe."  
"It wouldn't surprise me if he knew everything", Furrball commented. "He's basically a walking, talking Rush encyclopedia."  
Everyone laughed at Furrball's joke, until the blue cat then started coughing, which quickly turned into hacking. Everyone looked on in concern as he hung out his tongue & pounded on his chest.  
The blue cat then turned to the opposite side of the hall & let out a big cough. A hairball shot out of his mouth, splat against the wall, and fell into a garbage can right below it.  
Furrball thumped his paw on his chest & cleared his throat, before he said, "Ugh! Man, that was rough."  
Babs commented, "Maybe you'd get less hairballs if you stopped shedding."  
"Oh, it's not my fur."  
"Well, then whose fur is it?", Cliff asked. His eyes then lit up as he saw Fifi standing next to Furrball, who looked back blankly.  
"On second thought, I don't wanna know", Cliff said through gritted teeth.  
Shirley then turned to see Plucky down the hall. "Hey, there's Plucky."  
Plucky slowly walked down the hall, dragging his feet, with a gloomy look on his face.  
"What's the matter with him?", Buster wondered.  
"Oui", Fifi said, "he looks, how you say, depressed."  
Once Plucky reached his locker, he took off his backpack & set it down on the floor.  
"Hey, Plucky", Buster greeted.  
"Hey", the green duck replied in a monotone voice.  
"Is everything all right?", Heather asked.  
"No, everything is not all right."  
"Why? What's wrong?"  
"Batman passed away."  
"Which one?", questioned Babs.  
"You know, THE Batman."  
"Michael Keaton?"  
"No."  
"Christian Bale?", Calamity guessed.  
"Nope."  
"George Clooney?", Cliff wondered.  
"No- why do you think George Clooney would be considered THE Batman?!"  
"I dunno. Wishful thinking?"  
"Clifford!", Heather exclaimed. "You're not actually wishing someone dead, are ya?"  
"No no, I was just kidding. I mean, someone should pay for making Batman & Robin. You know, after they had the guts to show the Bat-"  
Out of the blue, Hamton placed his hand over Cliff's mouth, immediately silencing him.  
"Don't say it!", Hamton warned. "I know what you're gonna say, and if you do, you'll be in big trouble, so don't say it."  
After Hamton removed his hand, Cliff asked, "Say what? Bat Nipples?"  
"Oh. I thought you were gonna say 'Bat Credit Card'."  
"A **BAT CREDIT CARD?!** ", Plucky shouted at the top of his lungs, which made the toony pig scream & run down the hall like a bullet, with Plucky chasing after him.  
"Bat Nipples?", Heather asked Cliff. "What did you mean by that?"  
"In the movie, Batman & Robin had visible nipples on their outfits."  
"You're joking", Heather said, as Hamton ran right by the group, with Plucky in hot pursuit.  
"Nope, I kid you not. Whoever came up with that idea should've been fired on the spot. Although, I'm kinda disappointed Batgirl didn't have nipples on her suit."  
"You did not just say that!", Heather exclaimed.  
"I'm kidding! Calm down."  
Hamton ran by the group yet again, before Cliff stuck his foot out & tripped Plucky to the floor. Cliff then picked him up & set him on his feet.  
"Now, Plucky", Cliff started, "who was it that passed away?"  
Plucky sighed. "It was Adam West."  
"Adam West died?", Shirley chirped in shock. Plucky nodded in response. "Like, how old was he?"  
"He was 88", Plucky answered.  
"Well, at least he lived a full life", Cliff commented.  
"He died from leukemia."  
"Oh! That's...not good", Cliff said, knowing his past experience with battling cancer himself.  
Plucky sighed, "I've idolized West for as long as I can remember. To quote Burt Ward, 'There are several fine actors who have portrayed Batman in films. In my eyes, there was only one real Batman. That is and always will be Adam West. He was truly the Bright Knight'."  
"I'm so sorry, Plucky", said Shirley. "Like, is there anything we can do?"  
"No. Just...leave me be." The green duck then turned away from the group & walked away. The toons all looked on as Plucky continued going down the hall, further & further away from the group.  
"Poor Plucky", Cosette started. "I feel tres sorwy for heem."  
"Yeah", Babs added, "I felt the same way when I heard that my longtime idol passed." Babs then sniffed as her eyes welled up with tears. "I can't believe Carrie Fisher is gone."  
"Aw, come here, Babsy", Buster said as he held his arms out & wrapped them around his girlfriend, who started sobbing into his chest.  
Shirley then asked the group, "Like, is there anything we can do for Plucky or some junk?"  
The toons started thinking about what to do. They all thought for a while about what to do to cheer up Plucky, or at least pay tribute to Adam West.


	2. The final signal

In the library, Plucky is sitting at a table all by himself, reading through a Batman comic book, with a look of disinterest & gloom on his face.  
The entire library was silent, with the only hint of sound coming from Plucky slowly flipping through the pages. He spent the whole period in the library, reading whatever Batman comic books he could find. He has not been seen nor heard since he split from his friends back at the hall before school started. He planned on spending the whole day by himself with no one else around, not caring if he's marked tardy or absent in any of his classes.  
By the time he finished reading, he went up to the front desk, where Bookworm was checking in a new shipment of books.  
"Do you have any other Batman comic books?", Plucky asked. Bookworm shook his head in response.  
"I've read this 13 times. Is this really the only one you have?"  
Bookworm nodded.  
"Rats."  
As Plucky turned to head back to his table, Hamton & Shirley entered the library & immediately spotted him.  
"There he is!", Hamton said as he & Shirley approached the green duck.  
"Go away", Plucky said in his monotone voice.  
Shirley replied, "Hey, we've been looking all over for you."  
"Good for you, now leave me be", Plucky told them as he sat back down & started reading his comic book again.  
"Plucky, we've come up with something that you might like."  
"Not interested."  
"Like, can't you hear us out for one second or some junk?"  
"Leave me alone", Plucky started to get a bit agitated as he held the book up to his face. Hamton, with a look of dismay on his face, snatched the book out of Plucky's hands & threw it aside.  
"Hey!", Plucky exclaimed.  
"We didn't spend a half hour looking for you for nothing, Plucky", Hamton told the green duck.  
After a moment, Plucky then said, "Fine. You have my attention. What do you want?"  
"Well, while we were in class last period, I remembered seeing something in the news this morning, and I told everyone about it."  
"What is it?"  
"I heard that down in L.A., they're planning to do something as a tribute to West. They're gonna shine the Bat Signal on the side of the L.A. City Hall."  
"Okay. So, are we gonna go all the way to Los Angeles to attend the ceremony or something?"  
"Not quite", Shirley said. "Like, we planned on doing something similar. What if we shine the Bat Signal on the clock tower of Acme Loo or some junk?"  
"Well...", Plucky started, but then he got to thinking for a moment. "Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea."  
"Are you interested?", Hamton asked.  
"Of course I am. I mean, if it means paying tribute to my biggest idol, then yeah, I think that would be the right thing to do."  
"Like, I'm pleased to hear that", Shirley said. "Hamton & I already told everyone else about it, and we wanted to make sure you don't miss out or some junk."  
"When is it all taking place?"  
"Tonight."

Later that night, Plucky headed over to Acme Loo & saw many of the toons were already there, making preparations for the Adam West tribute.  
"There he is", Furrball said, pointing at the green duck approaching them.  
"Hey, you made it!", Shirley exclaimed.  
"Yeah, I wouldn't miss this for Mr. West", Plucky responded.  
"We're glad you're here", Buster commented. "We're still getting things ready. Once Calamity gets the Bat Signal up & running, we can proceed with the occasion."  
"Excellent. Any idea when this will all start?"  
"It should take about 5 minutes."  
"OWW!", Calamity exclaimed as he got zapped.  
"6 minutes."  
Just then, Cliff & his mother, Marie, both arrived. "Hey guys!", Cliff said.  
"Bonjour, Clifford. Bonjour, Mademoiselle Evans", Fifi greeted.  
"Hi", Marie greeted back. "How's everyone doing?"  
"Doing okay, I guess", Plucky answered.  
"Still feeling down, Pluckster?", Cliff asked.  
"Don't call me that."  
"Sorry. Hey, Calamity & I could use your help on something."  
"Oh?"  
"We're trying to pick a song to play for the event, but we can't make up our mind on what to choose. So we figured that it'd be best to let you choose for us."  
"Okay. What are the options?"  
"We have 'Kiss From A Rose' from Batman Begins."  
"Okay, not bad."  
"'I Never Even Told You' from Mask of the Phantasm."  
"Ooh, nice."  
"And 'Gotham City' from Batman & Robin."  
"Oh, no! I want nothing from Batman & Robin to have ANYTHING to do with Mr. West! That movie is a disgrace!"  
"Point taken. So, what'll it be?"  
"Hmmm...", Plucky thought for a moment. "I think I'll go with 'I Never Even Told You'. It seems like the best choice."  
"You've got it", Cliff said before he headed over to tell Calamity Plucky's choice.  
"How are you feeling, Plucky?", Marie asked.  
"Not too good, to be honest", the green duck answered. "I don't think I've ever felt this depressed before."  
"Trust me, we all go through this feeling at some point in our lives. That's how it is."  
"Have you ever dealt with this kind of depression before, Ms. Evans?"  
"I have."  
"Like what?"  
"I don't think it's a good idea to ask", Buster said to the green duck.  
"You're right", Plucky agreed. "Sorry. I guess being depressed really tampers with my ability to think straight."  
"It happens", Marie said.  
After a few more minutes of preparations, Cliff returned to the group.  
"Okay, guys", he started. "We are ready to start the main event."  
"Good", Buster commented. "Let's do this."  
Buster followed Cliff to the stairs between the Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck statues & turned to the crowd, while Cliff joined Calamity, who's standing by the stereos with an iPad in his hands, which he's using for the speaker controls, such as volume, track selection, etc.  
"Good evening, everybody", Buster started. "Thank you for coming here tonight, to join us in our tribute to Mr. Adam West, who has sadly passed on at the age of 88. Mr. West was a wonderful actor & is best known for starring as the Bright Knight himself, Batman. He was a landmark in the history of superheroes, and a big influence to many fans of Batman around the globe. For that, we all thank him for leaving a big impact on all Batman & superhero fans everywhere."  
Buster paused & looked down at Plucky, who had his head hung forward in gloominess.  
"Plucky", Buster said, the green duck looking up at him. "Would you like to say a few words?"  
After a moment of no response, Plucky answered. "Sure."  
Plucky slowly made his way to the steps as Buster moved aside for the green duck to give his parting words to his idol.  
"Adam West was a...he was a brilliant & talented man. The first time I saw Mr. West as Batman on T.V., he won me over & became my biggest idol. I remember when I was little, I used to watch the original Batman T.V. show with my mother every day, and not only that, but he also inspired me to create my Batduck persona, with Hamton as my sidekick, Decoy. Since then, I became a huge fan of Batman & the comics & the movies...some exceptions...but even though there are a few good actors, like Michael Keaton & Christian Bale, that many sees as the superior Batman...for me, there is only one true Batman. The Bright Knight himself. Nobody can top the true original Batman that was...Mr. Adam West."  
After a moment of silence, Plucky slowly stepped down from the top of the steps & returned to where he previously was.  
"Thank you for those kind words, Plucky", Buster said. "Now, I think we're ready to begin the main event. It's time for us to shine the final Bat Signal."  
Buster turned & faced forward with the rest of the toons looking toward Acme Loo, as Calamity started up the stereo with the CD Plucky had chosen, then activated the Bat Signal & slowly started moving it up toward the clock tower, as the voice of Tia Carrere started singing the song.

 _There was never any question_  
 _Any lovers' indiscretion_  
 _In my eyes_  
 _And my quiet desperation_  
 _Wasn't any indication_  
 _That my life_  
 _Suddenly could change_  
 _And never be the same_  
 _Now I feel so ashamed_

 _(I never even told you)_  
 _I thought you knew_  
 _(I never even said a word)_  
 _How I feel about you_  
 _(I never even told you)_  
 _I thought you knew_  
 _Thought you knew_

 _There was never any mention_  
 _Though it wasn't my intention_  
 _Not to say_  
 _(Not to say)_  
 _And my silent desperation_  
 _Couldn't change my situation_  
 _Anyway..._  
 _And doesn't it seem strange_  
 _How everything can change_  
 _And still feel the same?_

 _(I never even told you)_  
 _I thought you knew_  
 _(I never even said a word)_  
 _How I feel about you_  
 _(I never even told you)_  
 _I thought you knew_  
 _Thought you knew_

 _I had to keep my feelings locked away_  
 _I couldn't whisper, no I couldn't say_  
 _Now I know what this cost, my chances are lost_  
 _Like tears, tears in the rain, they're washed away_

During the final verse of the song, the Bat Signal is seen shining brightly at the top of the clock tower, with Plucky looking up at it along with the other toons. The green duck stared at the Bat Signal with watery eyes. Even though his longtime television idol is gone, he's at least happy to be here with all his friends to give one final sendoff to his childhood icon.


End file.
